US Completes Heavy Wave of Strikes on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Sites

The United States conducted a heavy wave of strikes on dozens of Iranian Revolutionary Guard targets including military command centres in provinces such as Zanjan and Khuzestan, as well as Qeshm island, killing at least three Guards members, amid the broader Iran strikes. [3][5]

US Strikes Hit Iranian Targets

The US military stated it had successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran, hitting dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets including military command centres. [3][5] US President Donald Trump had vowed to hit Iran hard after Tehran's previous attack on Jordan. [3][5] The Guards' branch in the northwestern province of Zanjan said three of its members were killed in a US attack there. [3][5] Iran's state news agency IRNA also reported hits on several cities in the southwestern Khuzestan province, as well as on Qeshm island in the Gulf. [3][5] Areas around the cities of Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar and Ahvaz, all in Khuzestan, were struck, the agency said, citing provincial authorities. [3][5] Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed aspects of the exchanges, saying the US used occupied bases in Jordan to launch an airstrike that killed residents in Qeshm. [3][5]

Iranian Missile Attacks on Jordan and Kuwait

Jordan's army reported a new volley of Iranian missiles on Thursday morning, saying five had been shot down, causing no casualties. [3][5] The Guards confirmed the attack. [3][5] Kuwait's defence ministry denounced a heinous Iranian attack that targeted a building belonging to a Chinese company in the north, killed one worker and caused severe material damage. [3][5] Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any countries aiding the United States would face a harsh response. [4] The return to direct hostilities followed a brief pause in fighting meant to give talks a boost. [3][5]

Iraq denies knowledge of US-Saudi strikes targeting pro-Iran groups in the region. — Source: straitstimes

Drone Incident at Egyptian Port

A drone strike sparked fires on two gas vessels in Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta. [1][3][5] The port lies near the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean and Red Seas. [1] The drone hit the US-owned gas storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that spread to a second vessel, people familiar with the incident said. [1] Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler identified the damaged ships as the Energos Winter storage and regasification vessel and the GasLog Salem tanker, saying they had been moved offshore after the incident. [3][5] A private security monitor, UK-based Ambrey, reported that the US-owned-and-operated floating storage vessel had been hit by at least one drone. [3][5] No one has claimed responsibility for what Egypt’s cabinet said on Thursday, July 30, was an unidentified drone that caused a fire on two vessels at Damietta a day earlier. [1] Yemen's Houthi rebels denied any involvement, according to rebel media. [3][5] Iran has denied any involvement in the Damietta strike. [1][3][5] Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on social media that Egypt is an important friend and partner in the region, and its security is of utmost importance, adding that all must be vigilant against Israeli plots and false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace. [1][3][5] Egypt's government said that an inquiry was ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident and to take the necessary measures to preserve Egypt's interests and national security. [1][3][5] During a call to Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed the need for the international community to work together to halt this escalation. [3][5] The authority that manages the port said it remained fully operational. [3][5]

Strikes in Iraq and Saudi Involvement

In a first in the five-month war, Saudi Arabia publicly joined strikes alongside US forces, targeting Iran-aligned groups in eastern Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation for what it said were drone attacks on Saudi oil targets launched from Iraq. [1][3] According to assessments by Saudi Arabia and regional partners, the Houthis carried out the attacks on Saudi Arabia from Iraqi territory in coordination with Iraqi groups. [1] Iraqi government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said on Thursday that Baghdad neither approved nor had prior knowledge of US-Saudi strikes on Iraqi territory, the state news agency reported. [1][2] The latest strikes in Iraq and Egypt threatened to draw more Middle Eastern countries into the conflict. [1]

US strikes targeted Iranian Revolutionary Guard sites in Zanjan, Khuzestan provinces and Qeshm island. — Source: france24

Ongoing Diplomacy and Mediation

Mediator Pakistan insisted that negotiations between Iran and the United States were ongoing, even as Washington carried out the heavy wave of strikes. [3][5] Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters that negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on the Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate. [3][5] Pakistan had helped to broker a deal between the warring sides laying the groundwork for negotiations on a permanent resolution, and Andrabi said it was doing its utmost to bring all parties back to technical talks under the agreement. [3][5] Previous talks following an April truce stalled, with the ceasefire collapsing earlier this month and Iran again slamming shut the Strait of Hormuz. [3][5] While Iran has publicly rejected an Omani proposal on managing the strait, its semi-official ILNA news agency quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying talks with Oman over the strait were continuing. [1]

Maritime and Energy Security Impacts

The five-month-old war has already brought shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a slender chokepoint in the global energy trade, to a virtual standstill. [1][3][5] Before the conflict, the waterway between Oman and Iran carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. [1] The strait has become the main hurdle in peace talks and a flashpoint for repeated escalations in the conflict. [1] Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that two oil tankers attempting to transit the strait with US support turned back after one of them caught fire. [3][5] Saudi Arabia unveiled plans on Thursday for a multinational maritime defence coalition aimed at protecting international shipping and energy supply routes in the Red Sea region, setting up a maritime defence alliance of 14 regional countries to secure navigation around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. [1][3][5] Iran-aligned Houthis on July 20 declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia. [1][3][5] Recent Houthi attacks on shipping prompted London’s marine insurance market on Thursday to widen its high risk zone in the Red Sea to include more coastline adjacent to Saudi ports. [1] A growing volume of Saudi oil, along with other shipping, has been diverted north up the Red Sea toward the Suez Canal and the SUMED pipeline. [1] For Asian customers, however, that means a longer voyage around Africa instead of south via the Gulf of Aden. [1] The drone strike on the two gas tankers in Egyptian waters has renewed energy security concerns about the nearby Suez Canal and a related pipeline, a vital export route for Saudi Arabian oil since the beginning of the Iran war. [1]

What to watch next: Pakistan’s mediators continue to push for technical talks on managing the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalation, while Egypt’s inquiry into the Damietta drone incident proceeds and the new 14-nation maritime coalition begins operations in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.